01 December 2018; Venice. Italy.

Yesterday afternoon , sailing into Venice, as beautiful as ever.

The weather is nicely following the forecast and thus we had a quiet but chilly night followed by a quiet but chilly day with a watery sun showing through. Not that it mattered much it as was not supposed to be a sunny Caribbean day but a European change over day. With the changeover being that we had the shakedown cruise guests coming on board.  Some had arrived already last night but the majority joined this morning. A shakedown cruise is really meant to “shake down” the ship for a cruise. It was something that did not happen in the old days. The old Ocean Liners were simply completed and started sailing and that was it. Then in the 1990’s Holland America and every other company as well, started with one night travel agent cruises followed by what was then the maiden voyage.  But the ships got more and more complicated and the service to the guests more and more refined. To such an extent that you could not just have crew walking on board and run a perfect cruise from scratch. Hence the shakedown cruise was invented.  A short cruise to test everything and if it was not perfect than it did not matter as the guests on board did not pay but were there to help out with testing the perfect product.

We tested that concept with the Koningsdam and it worked beautifully and hence we have continued this now with the Nieuw Statendam. These guests will enjoy a nice cruise but might be exposed to some testing of systems to see if it all works as it should.  One of those guests is my lord and master who descended upon the ship last night after having indicated the desire for inspecting the Nieuw Statendam.  And how am I to say No?  I have learned better than that after 27years of marriage. I am not the only one as there are quite a few of past and present Holland America Line officers and crew members here, who must be in the same situation.

The ships complement is already looking beyond the shakedown cruise, to December 5 when the first paying guests come on board. We are starting the regular cruise calendar for the ship with a Trans-Atlantic Crossing calling at Cartagena, Malaga and Funchal before heading straight for Fort Lauderdale. Once there the ship will settle down in a 7 day cruise routine although the first cruise will be a 3 day one, to get the ship into the regular routine of Saturday departures.

In the meantime all the venues on board will be tested to the limit to see if it all works. Specialty restaurants,  all the venues of the Music Walk, The Green House Spa, and all the behind the scene routines. No doubt Room Service will get a work out and the various Bars as well.  Some guests will have made Holland America cruises before so they will settle into their regular routine but there will be numerous who will have their first taste of a HAL cruise and they will want to taste and experience at all. Thus “Shake Down” here we come.

The final piece of art installed. Simple and clean lines without any fuss.

I promised one more piece of art, the final piece of art which was only installed the day before yesterday and only yesterday the supporting tape came off. For me it is one of the nicest pieces of art on board. I would call it a harp, although it is not one. It is simple, stylish and a proper focus point before entering the Music Walk.

I mentioned in one of the previous blogs that we had 1920 pieces of art on board so it is too much to show them all on the blog. Time for everybody to book a cruise on the Nieuw Statendam and to see it for themselves. But one more unusual piece of art to savor. Standing outside the Tamarind Restaurant on Deck 10 we have 2 Chinese statues but again with a twist. The shapes are normal but the outside covering is different. Starboard side is pink, portside is blue.

When they found the emporrers soldiers in China they said that each statue was copied of a real soldier. Now that soldier has made it all the way from China to the Nieuw Statendam with a new uniform as well.

The weather for tomorrow should be the same as today. Partly sunny but chilly. We should spend the afternoon in Dubrovnik and from their sail for Civitavecchia.  We have done our Guest Boat drill with all the “shake downers” going through the routine so we are ready to go.