The Voyage on the Nieuw Satendam began on November 10 with the two of us on board. Our ride to the “launch site,” Port Everglades, began with a Lyft….nice driver, nice car, nice conversation, nice ride. We were on our way for another adventure. The Ship was destined for a 7-Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale headed for the Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, San Juan in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. Our bags were packed and Leonardo, our driver, was right on time. The sun was shining, the condo lights were off, the door was shut and locked – we were on our way.
Our room was on the 11th level of the ship (12 was the top) and was a “regular” ship state-room design – a good king bed, lots of drawers for things, a frig and a really nice shower with hot water. The toilet, when flushed, about took one down with the water, but I guess there is a purpose for that kind of motion. Two closets held nice wooden hangers that clanged together as the ship moved making us wonder what the noise was until we discovered them. We were close to the front of the ship so we had a bit of motion at night, but I tolerated it with the help of a half of a Dramine each night.
Nieuw Statendam Stats: About 1 year old, 995 Officers and Crew, 50 Nationalities of Crew, Average Speed 16.9 Knots (whatever that is…I know some of you will look it up!!); 2032 Nautical Miles Traveled in the 7-Days; 426.72 Tons of Fuel Used and 34,980 Eggs Consumed. I wonder how many chickens it takes to lay that many eggs? (Having grown up on a farm with chickens, I know one hen lays about one egg every 2 days.so those of you who are so inclined can figure that out!)
This is the Pilot Boat that moves alongside the Cruise Ship. The Pilot comes aboard the Ship and guides it into the Harbor and to the Port to make sure everything is okay.
As you can see on Phil’s lap in the photo above, the “Red Bag” continues to travel with us wherever we go. I keep hoping it will get lost, but then he has a couple more of them, so my hope is a lost cause!
We spent many months in the Dominican Republic where we met Pablo. He has remained a wonderful friend. He is “salt of the earth” and we love him dearly. This was the primary reason we sailed on this Cruise….we hoped we could see our friend, Pablo (and others) ….and there Pablo was …. at the Amber Cove Port.
Gregory, a good friend of Pablo’s, drove us to Sousa, which is on the North Coast of the Dominican. The four of us went to Casa Marina, where Phil and I had stayed when we were in the Dominican Republic. This was our first time to meet Gregory, but what a nice man he is. He will ensure Pablo gets a copy of this Blog. Thanks a million, Gregory.
Some of the Dominican people’s names are difficult for us to pronounce let alone remember. Phil became known to this man as “Hombre Grocioso,” which means funny guy.” This is the name he gave Phil when Phil told him, in jest, that his price for some item was too high. This man and his wife became our good friends remaining so for all of the years we visited the Dominican Republic.
This is Juan and we fondly remember many meals at his little place on Sousa Beach. The four of us (Pablo, Gregory, Phil and me) had our lunch there. Phil had a whole fried fish and Gregory and Pablo had fried chicken….I think Juan said Phil’s fish was a Parrot fish. He said it was really good and brought back memories of having eaten it in years past. I had fried plantain and a drink of delightful fresh pineapple juice. In fact, I had two glasses full. Wonderful stuff! I know my sister, Katy, would love it too.
Our experience in San Juan was not what we had hoped for. We hired a driver who said he could take us to the rain forest, but he was only interested in having us walk through the Capitol Building and other public offices…..which we were not interested in. So we got out of his vehicle and went on our own.
We stopped at this little shop along the street and met these two delightful ladies. Phil had great fun with them as I clicked my camera taking shots of what i thought was interesting and/or pretty stuff.
The making of the Pina Colado drink originated here in San Juan. This was just a sign on the sidewalk so we didn’t check it out any further.
Our 4th island was St Thomas, a U.S. Virgin Island.
This man was our Tour Guide on the island of St. Thomas. What an informative guide he was. We rode on an open-air vehicle that held a about 12 people. The sign said his name was Elvis, but somehow that didn’t suit him. He drove us to the Mountain Top, showed us (though far away) where Michael Jordan and the Clinton’s have a home. The beach in this cove is world famous and the homes along it are very, very expensive.
For some reason, I really liked St. Thomas. It is an archipelago with many smaller islands. The vegetation is lush although probably not all year long as most islands have a dry period. There were lots of flowers blooming in every color. Houses and stores were brightly painted. The view from the Mountain Top was beautiful.
This is Magen’s Bay Beach combined with a smaller bay called Coki Beach. We only saw the beaches from the Mountain Top, but our tour guide told us they are nearly 1 mile long. From the Mountain Top, we could see the snow-white sand and the beautiful blue water. The beaches are open for all of the people of St. Thomas to enjoy although now there is a small fee to be paid upon entering for beach maintenance. The peninsula on the far side of the beach is where very wealthy people live. It is the most expensive real estate on St. Thomas. This peninsula is the location of Michael Jordan and the Clinton’s “vacation” homes!
The photos above are just ones I took on the Mountain Top. The lady in the middle is a vendor selling tee-shirts. There was another vendor selling many different items calling out that “today was his going out of business sale, but that he would be back in business tomorrow!”
WORDS FROM CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER. Regarding Politics Today: Be informed and interested. It is your future and that of your children and grandchildren. “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do NOT say.”
I think all of the cruise ship passengers were at Half Moon Cay Beach. Many of the people have done this cruise in past years and by the number of people here, they love the clean, clear waters of this beach.
No one lives on this island and there are no hotels. It is owned by Holland American Cruise Lines (our ship). It is very flat where even the trees are not very tall. I did not hear a bird sing or saw a butterfly. It didn’t seem that anything lived here. There are few businesses here…..a few tourist shops and a bar/restaurant, but not much else. The people who work here come every morning from a neighboring island and go home every night. It is true….no one lives on this island.
There is no way to reach this island except by cruise ship. I know if there was another way, Phil would be back here soon. He loved the clean, clear water…..and I did as well. Swimming was very enjoyable.
Abraham Lincoln said (and I am paraphrasing) that “there is no army in the world that can defeat the United States….our demise will come from within! His words certainly seem to apply to our political world today. Be informed, be active and be interested. It is important.
Back to Fort Lauderdale. We enjoyed our cruise on Holland American, but the food and service has been better on other ships. That said, we are glad we sailed to these islands and saw our friends in the Dominican Republic. It was 7 days of beautiful, hot weather, smooth seas, and nice people.
WE WISH ALL OF YOU A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING FILLED WITH LOVE, FAMILY, GOOD HEALTH, AND MANY BLESSINGS.
WE ARE ESPECIALLY THANKFUL FOR OUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS WHO SHARE OUR LIVES………………………ANNE & PHIL