Day Eight of HAL Nieuw Statendam Nordics Cruise: Scenic Cruising + Evening Arrival Akureyri, IS
Here’s the overview of my eighth day of my Holland America Nordics cruise including what I did on the ship. If you are wanting to see how I spent my time in Akureyri, read this post about my days in this charming Northern Iceland town.
THE DAILY
DAY ON THE SHIP
A City on the Sea
A behind the scenes look at life onboard that covers the logistics of the cruise ship from how toilets function to how electricity is produced to how waste is handled.
Having worked at a large hotel, I am well aware of the immense amount of work that must happen to have things run smoothly so I am in awe of such a large productions especially with the complication of being at sea
My favorite part of these shows is the recognition of the staff at all levels – it is such a commitment and sacrifice to work on a cruise ship. To work every day, 10 – 15 hours a day, seven days a week with contracts ranging from four months to 9 months is incredible and insane to me – in addition to being stuck on a boat and far away from family and friends. I am glad that cruise lines showcase this all – just wish more guests would understand how hard these jobs are.
Cake Me Away (Lido Marketplace)
Every sailing Holland America will have a cake extravaganza (typically the last sea day of the cruise) and this is what is looked like for our sailing
Guest Lecturer (World Stage)
I have been really enjoying these educational talks and really learning more about the places we are traveling to!
Port Overviews (I was able to watch from my stateroom!)
I was so thrilled when I found out that I would be able to watch the port overview in my stateroom! Another way that HAL sets itself apart from the other cruise lines I have been on – the director is technically known as the cruise and travel director who works closely with the captain and really dives into the itinerary/education piece. Clare was incredible in this role and just extraordinary in general – more on her in an upcoming post!
Scenic Cruising
As we sail through Iceland’s longest fjord, Eyjafjörður, on our way to Akureyri, we are treated commentary from both Jon, the Icelandic guest lecturer, and Clare, the travel and cruise director. In the same way that I love walking cruises, I am really enjoying the information shared during these scenic sailings!
EVENING ARRIVAL TO PORT – OVERNIGHT
Bonus was that some of these were streamed to the staterooms so I could watch from the comfort of my own bed (and explains the weird shadow here!)
While I have been to Akureyri before, it was still unbelievably helpful to have been given this map with so much info. I am able to use my T-Mobile plan internationally otherwise I would have really relied on this resource. (
Forest Lagoon
We get to Akureyri almost an hour later than scheduled so I missed out on being able to eat dinner in Akureyri as I had booked an entry ticket for 20:30 to Forest Lagoon. Since that is too late to catch the free shuttle, I made plans to go with a mom/son I had met at the FB group meet up.
And here’s my comprehensive guide for Forest Lagoon
BACK ON THE SHIP
Orange Party
Unfortunately it worked out that the evening that we sailed into Akureyri was the Orange Party – I did not attend as I was at Forest Lagoon but there was a Orange Party troll?! Any one able to tell me why?!
