Nov 30

Nov 30 Day Seven - Key West

This morning, Nieuw Statendam is docked in Key West. Before disembarkation can begin, all guests must report to U.S. Customs for clearance. That means every guest must take their room key and passport to the World Stage where Immigration officers verify the information. This process took less than two hours and, by 9:15, guests were able to disembark for their shore excursions, or simply to walk around town.

There is a lot to see and do in Key West and Holland America offers a variety of good shore excursions here. However, this is a fun place to just get off the ship and walk around. The town is geared towards tourism, which drives the Key West economy. You could take a tour of Earnest Hemingway’s home, or Harry S. Truman’s Little White House. It seems that around every corner, there is something interesting to see.

If you have mobility challenges, perhaps a ride on the Conch Tour Train is in order?

When I disembarked, I was on a mission to find a business that Rickee and I visited a few years ago that does 3D scanning and printing. After some research, I found that the business had moved a few blocks away from the original location so, with the help of Google Maps, I walked to the new location of 3D Mini Me.

A few years ago, I posted a blog on CruiseReport.com talking about 3D Mini Me and, at the time, I said it was the coolest thing you can do while in Key West. When I walked into their new store, I was surprised to see a blown-up print of our blog post on display in their showroom! I had the chance to re-connect with owner, Chad Remmert, and talk about the changes in their business over the years. I met Chad and his Dad on my first visit, which was not long after they started their business.

Basically, this company does a 3D scan of you, or you and a loved one, then using a 3D printer, they can create a realistic figurine of you. It is VERY cool. Like a 3D selfie!

I will be doing an updated story on 3D Mini Me for the Attractions section of CruiseReport.com, so watch for that in the next few weeks.

After visiting with Chad, I decided to walk to another business that Rickee and I checked out the last time we were here: Key Lime Pie Company. In case you did not know it, Key West is famous for Key Lime Pie and you cannot walk more than two blocks without finding a place selling this delicious treat. Before our last visit to Key West, we had watched an episode of “The Profit” on CNBC in which Marcus Limonis invested in Key Lime Pie Company in Key West. So we thought we would check it out.

When you visit Key West on your cruise, you have to try Key Lime Pie, and you can’t go wrong by visiting Key Lime Pie Company. After my visit to Key Lime Pie Company., I enjoyed walking around Key West just for the exercise and to see all of the tourists already bar-hopping at 10:30 in the morning!

I was back onboard Nieuw Statendam in time for lunch at Dive-In, the ship’s burger restaurant located at the Lido Pool on Deck 9. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries.

This evening, I enjoyed a sailaway cocktail in The Crow’s Nest located on Deck 12 forward. In my opinion, this is the most under-utilized space on the ship. You enjoy the best panoramic views of the ocean from here. And, this used to be one of the most popular spots on Holland America ships, but now is seems as though it has been relegated to board games and jigsaw puzzles. The Explorations Cafe is located here, which offers specialty coffee drinks, but bar drinks are also available. This would also be a perfect spot for an Early Riser’s coffee with continental breakfast, but they don’t start serving coffee here until 7:00am.

For dinner this evening, I chose to dine in Canaletto, the Italian-themed specialty restaurant on Nieuw Statendam. As on other Pinnacle-class ships, Canaletto is located in the forwardmost section of the Lido Market, port side. In the evenings, this space transforms into an intimate bistro-style restaurant.

I was seated at a table for two next to a window and to my left was a large table for ten, at which a family was dining. The tables in Canaletto seem to be closer together than in other onboard restaurants. The meal begins with a small basket of bread and selection of dips, my favorite being the balsamic and olive oil.

My main course was the Rack of Lamb (below) and the lamb was perfectly cooked. However, the meal was not without fault. But, I will cover this in more detail when I post a separate review of Canaletto in the Cruise Ship Dining section of CruiseReport. The cost to dine in Canaletto is $19 per person.

After dinner, I stopped by B.B. King’s where the music was fantastic and everyone was having a great time.

It has been quite an amazing week aboard Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam. Soon, I will be posting a summary review of my experience on board, so check the Cruise Reviews section for more information.

Nieuw Statendam Review