And so the taxi dropped us off at the cruise terminal in Dover at noon time. In the hotel we saw guests for our ship but also for the Seabourn Sojourn. As expected the Sojourn was at Terminal 1 which is the original terminal for cruises from Dover and built with capacity of the small ships of bygone days in mind. Hence the Sojourn was docked there and the NSDM was at the big terminal which is a sort of permanent marque/shed construction. Everybody arrived in a staggered way so embarkation took no more than 10 minutes.
Dover from an archive photo. The front view show the ms Borealis (ex Rotterdam (VI) at terminal 2 and a much smaller cruise ship at terminal 1. It looks like a ship from Saga Cruises and they take 900 guests maximum. At the “marina terminal there is a 3rd one which looks like a Viking ship.
We had booked a VISTA CLASS cabin on deck 6 in the centre sandwiched between deck 5 and deck 7 which are all cabin decks so we would be sure not to be bothered by any noise from any public area. All the day information nowadays is on the HAL APP on the smartphone. But the login in did not work so we had to go to the front desk and there the lady had to reset the system. It turned out that the log-on instructions on the app to connect to wifi did not cover the “have it all package” we had bought. Lots of work for the front desk, as we not the only ones, that would not have been necessary if a programmer had put the option in the menu to start with.
The ms Nieuw Statendam alongside Terminal 2 in Dover.
We have now been using the “have it package” for 24 hrs. And it is worthwhile to have it for drinks, 2 included specialty dinners, two shore-excursions, and all the tips. We calculated that with 4 drinks a day we are already breaking even. HAL prices in the bar are more reasonable than with Cunard but still more than at Fred Olsen or some other European Operators.
Then it was Boat drill time and nowadays that works very quickly. You watch the video on the TV (which I helped design in 2016 so nothing knew to learn) and then go to the muster location to be scanned. Saves the guest time and also saves the ship manpower. Once in awhile the ship is required to do a full boat drill with all the guests present at one time, to keep the crew proficient with handling the flow. Today each station only had one scanning person, tomorrow which is official embarkation day, there will be many more crew as they will be many more guests coming on board. Today about 150 guests joined, mainly Americans who combined the cruise with a visit to London. Only 6 British joined and 1 Dutchman. In the future the company hopes to get about 400 British joining in Dover but I do not think that many British were interested in sailing around their own island this time. On a previous cruise to the Canaries there were 150 on board so there is interest.
Dover departure view with on the portside North of the Ferry terminals the “White Cliffs of Dover” and Dover castle which harks back to the 11th. century for the main keep.
There will now be a 4 part (?) program on the British Channel 5 showcasing the company and hopefully that will perk some more interest. That camera team were on board in April but tomorrow the ship can be excited as my camera team comes on board for filming a documentary about our old head office in Rotterdam which will be 125 years old in 2026. I was asked to be part of that program, due to my knowledge about the company’s history but also because I was one of the last Officers having a job interview in the old office, before the company moved to the suburbs.
So tomorrow we will be in Rotterdam which will the the change over day for the majority of the guests and then the cruise will start in earnest. Expected weather, overcast with temperatures around 20oC or 68oF., perfect travelling weather.
June 1, 2025 at 11:32 pm
So looking forward to your posts. We are getting ready to book 4 months of these itineraries next year and will be anxious to learn from your experiences
June 1, 2025 at 11:42 pm
I always enjoy reading your blogs. I started cruising in 1994 and have only cruised on HAL. I have been n all HAL ships except the Nieuw Statendam.
June 2, 2025 at 12:40 am
Another wonderful tutorial of traveling with Holland America. Choice of cabin. The Have It All package and the wifi difficulties, which i inevitably have.
Smooth sailing and i look forward further information and advice from a fine retired captain, now guest onboard!
June 2, 2025 at 12:59 am
Bon Voyage to you and Lesley.
June 2, 2025 at 7:53 am
Hello again Captain Albert.
So nice seeing your blogs again.
We are faithful HAL passengers and will be sailing on Aug. 9 to Norway,, our third time with HAL to Norway.
Enjoy your cruise.
Rosemarie
June 2, 2025 at 11:51 am
It is good to have posts from you again.
June 2, 2025 at 12:18 pm
Wens jullie een hele goede cruise.
Nu weer eens als passagier.
En vooral goed weer op de reis.
hartelijke groet vanuit Zeeland,
Bert
June 3, 2025 at 4:16 pm
Welcome back Captain Albert we have missed you and look forward to new postings!
June 3, 2025 at 4:18 pm
Captain A. An insiders view of the cruise will be fun!
June 5, 2025 at 4:29 pm
Thanks for your insights.