Friday January 3rd- Sunday
January 5th—Pre-Cruise Day, and Cruise Days 1 and 2.
Were Off!
After a frantic time getting ready, we departed our home in
Snohomish, Washington, about 5:30AM, Friday January 3rd for our 2014
World Cruise. Our daughter Rhiannon very kindly provided a ride for us to
Sea-Tac airport.
Getting ready to be gone for four months requires a lot of
planning! Bills need to be paid in advance and insurance needed to be dealt
with. We had to find someone to look after our cat (thank you Matthew!),
someone to look after our rental houses (thank you Neal and Rhiannon!), someone
to look after and be prepared to make decisions for Bill’s mother (again thank
you Neal and Rhiannon!), and someone to look after and deal with our mail (thank
you Neal for a third time!) Fortunately we are very blessed that our children
are enthusiastic in supporting our trip, and willing to take on so much
responsibility.
So after months of frantic preparation—including Thursday
night/Friday morning where we had only 1-2 hours of sleep—we had made all of
the arrangements to be gone four months that we thought were essential. We know
there will be things back home that will need attention long the way, but we
will deal with those as they come up.
Rhiannon dropped us off at the airport about 6:45 AM and we
caught our 8:40 AM Alaska flight direct from Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The
flight was about 6 hours, but because of the time zone differences, we arrived
in Ft. Lauderdale about 5:30PM.
One difference between our 2012 World Cruise and our 2014
World Cruise is that this time we decided to “book” our cruise through “Cruise
Specialists”—a travel agency for cruises. There were several advantages in doing this
rather than booking directly through Holland America. First, the cruise price was significantly
less—even though all other amenities and advantages are the same. But in
addition, Cruise Specialists arranged for and paid accommodations in a very
nice hotel (Renaissance Plantation) the night before we boarded the ship—which
included a cocktail reception and dinner. But there are other advantages as
well—including shore excursions and on-board parties that are exclusive to
Cruise Specialists patrons. In addition, being part of the “Cruise Specialists
Group” means we have an “on-board” advocate who will help us if we have any
unexpected problems. So far, the Cruise Specialists experience has been nothing
but positive, and I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys cruising!
We had a good night’s sleep at the hotel, breakfast in the
morning, and then took the hotel shuttle—arranged by Cruise Specialists--to our
beloved ms Amsterdam.
We had to present our passports upon check-in, and this occurred
without incident. So by 12:30 PM, Saturday, January 4th, we were
onboard the Amsterdam and getting settled into our Verandah State room. Holland
America provided free transportation for the majority of our luggage via
Fed-Ex—who on December 17th picked up at our home many, many items
(I’m embarrassed to say how many!) We only had 3 checked suitcases, two
computers, two backpacks, and Pat’s purse with us on the airplane—very nice
since this meant we didn’t have to deal with all of our luggage upon boarding
the ship.
All baggage arrived safely, and we spent much of Saturday
putting items away in our room—which is only about 10 feet X 30 feet—i.e. 300
square feet! But we did have time to go up to the salon and enter a raffle—where
Pat won a Hot Rock Massage!
On board, we met several close friends we had made during
our 2012 cruise, and numerous acquaintances and staff members. It never ceases
to amaze us that so many people take numerous World Cruises! When we first
boarded for our 2012 cruise, we assumed that this was a “trip of a lifetime”
for everyone on board, and that very few—if any—would take a second world
cruise. But when we boarded in 2012, we were surprised that so many people
seemed to know each other! Now the roles were reversed—it was we who were
hugging and greeting the people we had met two years earlier as long lost
friends! I think the record for World Cruises is “Dolly”—an elderly woman who
is aboard this year for the 2014 World Cruise. This is her 27th
World Cruise with Holland America!
Dining arrangements aboard a lengthy cruise are such that passengers
are assigned a dining table, and if all goes well, they will have dinner at
that same table with the same table mates for the entire cruise. Of course, not
every evening meal is eaten at that dining table, as there are many dining
options aboard the ship. But in 2012, we probably had two thirds of our evening
meals at our assigned dining table with our table mates, with whom we became very
good friends, and we all, plus another couple, arranged to share a table of 8
for the 2014 cruise. For our first night at dinner, it was a delightful
reunion!
After dinner on Saturday, we continued to unpack, finished, and
then went to the evening “Sail-Away Party” on the Lido Deck (Deck 8) where the
appetizers, wine and Champagne were flowing freely. There was live
entertainment, and the sail-away finally occurred at about 11:30 PM.
On Sunday, we got up, explored the ship, saw more friends,
and met in the Ocean Bar to play “Team Trivia” at 11:4 AM. It turns out that 4
of our 2012 Trivia Team were onboard for the 2014 cruise—the two of us, Don
Tremblay, and Dick Callaway—and we found two other good Canadian players—also
“Bill” and “Patricia!”—to join our team.
The evening finished with introductions of the ship’s staff
and a live show in the Queen’s Lounge—followed by Pat and I toasting the 2014
World Cruise on our verandah before bed.
We will have 3 full “sea days” before our first port of
call—Puerto Limon, Costa Rica—on Wednesday, January 8th. There we
are scheduled to arrive at 7:00AM and depart at 4:00M. While in Costa Rica, we
have made reservations for a four and a half hour tour: “Sloth Sanctuary and
Jungle Experience.”
Our next entry to this blog will probably be on Thursday,
January 9th and will describe our Costa Rica experience!
No comments:
Post a Comment