The first half of our Panama Cruise
Warning, this is very, very long and includes many details of our trip. Read at your own risk. it is rough and barely edited. If you want to bypass the words, you can see the pictures at my Pbase Gallery.
Driving Day
I consider that our trip started from the moment we left Baton Rouge for the drive to Ft. Lauderdale. We set our course in the GPS which said that we would arrive at 8:30pm. Of course, the GPS did not take into account the hour time change, gas stops, restroom/driver change stops, eating stops, sightseeing detours, or the general after Christmas traffic. Consequently, we didn’t pull in to the hotel until about 1:00am EST.
The drive though wasn’t too terrible. We each took our turn driving. I was able to listen to my cruise playlist during my couple hours. Mom read most of the time. Dad and sbbish napped. We stopped in Mobile for food at Oysterellas. It wasn’t the Oyster House that Mom and Dad remembered, but it was pretty good. They had the tenderest fried oysters that I’ve ever eaten.
My driving turn began about 80 miles from the turning point from I-10 to I-75. That went smoothing enough, but it wasn’t long before traffic on the three lane I-75 came to a grounding halt. We decided that was as good a point as any for dinner and pulled off at a Wendy’s in a truck stop. We weren’t the only ones who had this idea. It was quite full. Add to that the guys ordering for their entire unit in front of us and the wait was really long. At least when we were done, the traffic had died down as well. Once we took the Florida Turnpike, traffic smoothed out. For $20 to travel the whole thing, one would expect the traffic to improve.
Wearily, we pulled into the Hampton Inn to check in. Sleep followed shortly knowing that the next day was going to be long.
Day 1
Our shuttle left the Hampton Inn at 10:00 am. We arrived at the cruise terminal before the doors were even open. Luckily, they decided to open a little early, and we soon passed through security with our carry on and were in the waiting room to go through the final check-in process and get our cabin keys. This process could have gone a little smoother in my opinion. I believe that they were not quite fully staffed when they opened the doors. They seemed to be a little short on giving clear directions as to where to go and what line to stand in. There was a line for those in suites, but then we were told that was not applicable at this time. It seems to be they should have blocked it out to clear matters up.
Once we had our keys the actual embarkation process was smooth. We took our embarkation pictures and then headed to the Lido Deck for lunch as our cabins were not quite ready for us. We had quite a lot of carryon luggage. sbbish and I had our laptops, sbbish had his camera. I had the medicine train case and my sewing. Add to that a few books, and we were quite loaded down. I’m sure those who have cruised before or who are comfortable with sitting for a few hours and doing nothing laughed at as.
By 2:00, we were getting settled in stateroom 8124. Thanks to all my visits to the Cruise Critic (CC) message board, I found all the hidden storage compartments. We unpacked quickly and found that we were quite content with the size of our deluxe verandah room. It was not quite as large as the room that we had on the Disney Cruise, but adequate for a standard cruise cabin. We also met our cabin stewards, Gede and Poegoeh.
I then began the search for the Cruise Critic banner which was supposed to be located at the Front Desk. Sadly, they either had no idea what I was talking about or they had lost the banner. Regardless, I was bannerless. I grabbed the blue runner off the end of the bed and headed up to the Lido Deck for our banner wave. Sadly, without the banner, I think that we were not able to hook up with anyone from CC. Thanks to Rich from the CC board, we were able to get a few pictures from the webcam of the four of us standing just below the sports deck. We look like dots, but you can see us if you know where to look.
The CC board had alerted me to the fact that I was to be in my life vest and at our assembly station (B14) no later than 4:15. I followed these instructions and was one of the first people there. It seems that this drill could have been a little better organized, but with 1800 people on board the ship, I suppose that one may be asking for too much. I was amused though by the one lady who had the straps of her life vest wrapped between her legs like a safety harness. I have no idea how she was able to even maneuver herself to get that tied under her crotch. The staff quickly helped her out though.
After the banner debacle, we took a quick run around the ship to scout things out before changing for a 6:00pm dinner in the Vista Dining Room. We were on the As You Wish Dining Plan (AYWD) which allowed us to show up and eat at any time. You can make reservations, but the times for which they allow reservations are not truly convenient, so it isn’t really quite as you wish. Still, showing up at 6:00pm, we didn’t have any wait. Our first night we decided to join other people. We found ourselves eating with the Throckmortons. They were very nice after we all got over that initial hump of “getting to know you”. The problem that we ran into is that they were already being served their main course; therefore, we were a course behind them. Consequently, when they finished with their dessert, we were all still visiting and chatting while we waited for our dessert. We all left together, so when all is said and done, they were at the table for quite a long time which may have been less convenient for them. Our service for the evening was fine although it did seem to take a rather long time to get our coffee.
The Throckmortons were a family around our age. We did all comment on how much older the majority of the ship is. It is true that Holland America caters to an older age group, but that doesn’t bother me at all. It is easier to find us though as we are some of the few people without white hair!
After dinner, we found a lounge where a string quartet performs in the evening. When we asked our bartender Nick where exactly we were. His reply? “Nick’s”. He had quite the sense of humour. We later discovered that the lounge was the Explorer’s lounge, but to us, it will forever be known as Nick’s.
At 9:00pm, it was time to hit the first show of the cruise. The show was an intro to the Zuiderdam Singers and Dancers. My initial impression was that if all the shows were going to be like that, I wasn’t sure I would be attending. The costumes were horrible. Pink dresses that crisscrossed with hot pink sequins across the breast and empire waist line. The men were in purple suits. It was really ugly to look like. Rather like the decorations on the ship which are much more of a modern line with reds and blues and purples. I prefer more classic decorations. The ship for the most part, looks like a standard La Quinta. The show in the evening was mostly stupid human tricks with couples on board the ship. It had its moments, but for the most part I could have skipped it. That rounded out the evening for me as I’m not much of a late night person.
Day 2
I’ve heard great reviews about this island, and it was pretty. We, however, are not a group of beach people. We slept in and waited until about 10am to saunter off the ship onto the tender boats. This was well after everyone else had rushed ashore, so we had no waiting which was wonderful. We walked along the beach taking pictures. The day was absolutely lovely. The water was a little chilly for me, but I walked along the edge of the water just so that I could say that I dipped my feet in. We met for lunch at noon, ate, when shopping for a few minutes in the little village, and took the next tender back to the ship. That was really all the time that I needed at that port.
At 2:00 pm, I headed to the Greenhouse Spa for the “Update Your Hair” consultation/lecture. It was a little disorganized at first since they didn’t have a space or any chairs set up. Perhaps they thought that no one would be there. As it was, about 15 ladies showed up including myself. We all got a turn to sit in the hot seat and discuss what we liked and didn’t like about our hair as well as get tips. I had my hair up in a bun fastened with clips. As I walked up, the hair stylist said, “You look like you have long hair.” As she said that, I undid the clips and shook my hair out. As it fell to my waist, she remarked, “And you do.” I was amused. I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know. Bottom line, for volume, I would have to add long layers. When you add those layers, putting your hair up becomes more difficult as with thin hair like mine, you get all these little unruly spikes everywhere. I suppose I shall keep my hair the same. Still, I had fun at the lecture seeing what all was recommended and suggested for everyone else.
At 4:30 pm, it was time for Crafter Chat with Party Planner Candi. Several of us met at Nick’s with our sewing. Candi admitted that she started the craft session just so that she could get in some of her own knitting. Sounds like something I would do! I started with my laptop as I needed to replace my desktop with a scrapbook layout page from our day at Half Moon Cay. The Season’s Greeting picture no longer fit the current happenings in my life. So, among all the knitters, there I was with my laptop working on digital scrapbooking. This also led to a quick demonstration of the Creative Memories software as a couple of the ladies showed an interest in the digital scrapbooking program. Maybe I can deduct my trip now as a business expense! After I finished up my page, I pulled out the 2009 Lady Mary sleeve and started couching on the gold ribbon. Yes, it is official. I am a nut. Even strangers who do needlework crafts agree.
I had a quick change for dinner which involved throwing on some pants since you can’t wear shorts and shouldn’t wear jeans to dinner. This night, we opted to eat with just the four of us and were placed at Table 94 upstairs among the scheduled diners. This, we learned is a bad deal. The service was terrible because having arrived a little after 6pm, we were slightly behind all the scheduled diners whose dinner started at 5:45pm. Really. Service was terrible. My mother’s soup was cold. When she commented that it was cold, the server just took away the soup and never even offered to replace it. When shaking salt out of the salt shaker onto my tomato and cheese appetizer, the cap came off and salt dumped all over my plate. It took over five minutes to bring me a fresh plate. I began to think that it was not going to happen. We decided that we would not eat upstairs again.
Before dinner we visited Nick’s again to enjoy the string quartet. I could tell this was going to become a standard routine. At 9:00, it was time for another show with the Zuiderdam Singers and Dancers who were to take us on a trip through Broadway and Film theme songs with costuming by someone famous whose name I will have to inquire about again. I’m not sure what happened between the previous night and this night, but this was not at all the same show. The costumes were fabulous and the singing and dancing were excellent. As my mother remarked, “These are not the same people.” Of course, they were, but the show itself was so much better. They could have done some things better from a technical standpoint. The spot was kept very tight the whole time. I would have liked a wider spot sometimes to be able to enjoy the costumes more, and there were a couple times when I think the stage could have used some more lighting-again, so I could better see the costumes.
We returned for some more string music before heading up to the room for picture processing. We each purchased a 220 minute Internet package for $100. By doing this on the first full day, we each also received 20 free minutes. It’s a good thing that people gave us money for Christmas!
Day 3
I imagined that my days at sea would be quiet, relaxing, and filled with photo processing, sewing, and scrapbooking. Alas, my hopes were dashed when I looked at the Daily Happenings. I started my day at 10:00 am with a Panama 101 lecture given by the onboard travel guide, Richard Detrich. He is an excellent lecturer and very knowledgeable about Panama. Mom and Dad attended this with me. Afterwards, Mom and Dad left me for the 11:00 am port shopping lecture. I had hoped that this would include more information on general souvenir items, but it focused on where to get expensive jewelry. They did show this very interesting Diversa collection though of stud earrings that convert to dangle earring in two seconds flat. They were fascinating but at $600 for the cheapest pair, I think I will have to pass.
I had a moment to squeeze in a quick bite of pizza for lunch before heading back to the forward decks for “The Art of Flower Arranging” in the Culinary Arts Center at 12:30pm. Interesting. Although I am quite certain that I could never make arrangements like that. Heck, I wouldn’t even know where to get the materials.
At 2:00 pm we had the Wine Tasting that came with the Sommelier Package that I bought sbbish as a Christmas gift. This package has probably been one of the most entertaining parts of our trip. When we arrived, we were supposed to receive a bottle of commemorative HAL wine and a gift set. We were also supposed to receive cards for the wine tastings and a reservation was supposed to be premade for us at the Pinnacle Grill. There was no gift set. There was no card with reservation at the Pinnacle Grill. There were no cards to present for the wine tastings. We asked our cabin steward. He knew nothing. We went to the front desk on the first day. They knew nothing. Finally, at dinner that first night, the sommelier went to find out about it. She came back and gave us more knowledge than we had before. The gift set was not available so the cost of that would be credited back to our room. We were also supposed to make reservations at the Pinnacle Grill ourselves. Of course, by the time we learned that, the only thing available was 5:45 and 8:30 pm reservations. Ah, well. Live and learn. Everytime we mention that we have this package, we get odd looks from the sommeliers. Apparently, we must be the only people on board the cruise who have this package.
Back to the wine tasting though, we showed up for the tasting. One was supposed to make reservations. Luckily, for the first time, it seems like something went right with the package and there was a reservation for us handwritten on the list. We sat across from some rather pretentious people or as my husband liked to say, people who thought they knew how to act pretentious as they didn’t even know the proper way to hold a wine glass. Thank goodness I have learned that from all my friends. I jostled the table leg with my knee while trying to climb into my chair which was pushed up against the curve of the stage and nearly impossible to get in. As everything shook (but didn’t spill), the couple across from us gave me a bit of a “What and idiot” glare. This later led to a conversation about how for a cruise, there seem to be a lot of crotchety people on this cruise. Anyway, the wines were okay. Nothing terrible special although I did confirm that for the most part, if I have to drink a wine, I should choose a Pinot Noir.
Being New Year’s Eve, this was our first formal night, so we headed back to the room for a quick nap, shower, and change of clothes. We had our pictures taken and headed to dinner. Having learned from our previous night’s experience, we declined table 94 tonight and took table 103 with Pidyan as our server. He was wonderful, and we will request his table again in the future. Our table had party hats and feather tiaras on them. I felt right at home by the end of the evening in my cheap party tiara which I later affixed to my head with clips and redid my hair so that it would look it’s best. It ended up being a rather Lady Mary look-except for the skin tight black beaded formal dress.
Mom, Dad, and I attended the show. I left sbbish in the room moaning about having overeaten and no longer fitting into his tux pants. The show was George Solomon who was incredibly energetic and talented. It was a nice comedy/music show, and he was an entertaining performer on his way to open his show in Las Vegas on January 2. I guess we were the trial run. Rather like a Friends of Faire day.
After that, the Vista Lounge was rocking like Times Square with their New Year’s Eve bash. We headed up to the Crow’s Nest on 10 Forward for a more sedate ringing in of the New Year. We could watch the Vista Lounge on the monitors they had set up. It was a madhouse. I think I preferred our quieter area. Thank goodness our docking time the next day was not until 11am.
Day 4
Thanks to CC and preplanning, I had us booked on The Jolly Pirates Swim, Snorkel, and Swing trip at 3pm. After a leisurely breakfast followed by a leisurely lunch, we disembarked the ship enjoying the fact that Aruba is a docked location with no tendering required. We found a taxi who we are quite certain overcharged us, so we didn’t tip her. Later we found out that we were correct.
We arrived at MooMba beach and checked in. We had allowed so much time to find the place that we had two hours to find something to do. Not being beach people, there wasn't much. At 2pm, sbbish and I decided to grab a bite of food at the restaurant before embarking on our pirate adventure.
As they boarded the boat, they handed each of us a snorkel and mask. My apprehension was now growing. Have I mentioned that I'm not a beach person? Well, I had never been snorkeling and was rather nervous. There is only so much that one can learn reading on the Internet. Also, I was worried about my contact lenses. I can't see without them which sort of defeats the purpose of snorkeling, nor can I wear glasses. Because of my contact lenses, I don't like putting my face in the water. Can you see the issue here?
By the time we got to our first snorkeling destination, I was almost in a panic. For those of you who don't know me, I have extreme irrational fears of going to new places and doing things that I've never done before. It really is amazing that I like traveling as much as I do. So, the Jolly Pirates told us to jump in the water as the pool was open and to come back when the horn sounded. Jump in the water. Really? I wasted a good ten minutes trying to decide just how to get in the water. After all, there was a ladder. Maybe I could just climb down the ladder. Well, sure, if I was willing to beat of the forty kids on the trip who didn't want to snorkel and just liked jumping off the bow of the ship, swimming to the ladder and climbing back up. Apparently, they did not believe that anyone should be climbing down the ladder. After pushing a few of them off, I finally managed to climb in. Sbbish had now been in for quite some time and my dad who stayed on the boat was grabbing pictures of my descent into the water.
Once in the water, I figured I needed to get my mask on. It was a good quality and fit snugly to my face. I put in the snorkel and realized that sea water was salt water. I had forgotten that. Blech! Finally, I closed my eyes and stuck my face in the water. The mask did not fill up with water, so I tentatively opened my eyes. All this time I was drifting to the back of the boat where they told us not to go. I swam forward with my face in the water and for the first time enjoyed seeing fish in their natural habitat. My mother said they weren't as colorful as the fish in Australia or Mexico, but I thought they looked just fine. I even found a snake and some weird jelly looking fish. I'll have to see what they were. They looked a little close to jelly fish for my taste, so I stayed away from them.
All too soon, the horn sounded. We boarded the ship, dripping water everywhere. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about all my bags and stuff getting wet with salty sea water. We sailed over to the next destination which was in 60 feet of water over a sunken ship. The water here was a lot rougher, so I was glad that we started in the easier area. I decided I was done here before the horn sounded. We weren't alone as only a few people were headed back when the horn sounded.
Our next stop was the area where we played around on the rope swing. Deciding that I would regret more not trying out the rope swing than trying it, I got in line. I would like to think that had my arm not been hurting so much from what I discovered later was a pulled tendon, I would have made a much better showing. As it was, the rope went down and right as it started its upward swing, my arm gave out sending me into the water butt first with a beautiful splash. My contact lenses both stayed in though, so I considered it a win. We then returned to shore where catching a taxi was a little difficult. The one we got told us we couldn't ride if we were wet. Well, we'd been out of the water and in the wind for well over an hour, so we weren't wet. I was the wettest of the group since I had done the rope swing-and I wasn't wet. I told him my towel was wet and I would keep it in my lap. He finally consented and only charged us $13.00 to get back to the ship.
Sbbish and I decided we didn't feel like dressing for dinner, so we went up to the Lido Restaurant in our jeans for a much more casual affair. We then hunkered down in our room to process some photos and enjoy the Aruba Wireless internet for only $2.95 an hour-a real bargain compared to the price of minutes on the ship. Also, being New Year's Day, we were able to watch New Year's Day fireworks over Aruba from our verandah.
Day 5
We sailed into Curacao as the sun was rising. This is one of the most interesting docks I've ever seen. They open the world's longest floating bridge to allow us to get into the docking area. We had a great view from our balcony.
At 8:45, we disembarked the ship to meet our private guide, Leo. I found him through the CC
board as well. We started our tour in the downtown area of Curacao. About the time that we were done, he received a phone call. Apparently there was a bit of a snafu. Another couple from CC had called to make a reservation. Since I had originally said that we could share our tour, he told them he was available. However, they never received a confirmation from him, so he did not know that he was to pick them up. They ended up joining our tour, and we got a little bit of a discount to make up for the snafu.
With Paul and Mindy along for the ride, our tour continued to the Curacao Liqueur Distillery. Apparently, this is a special liqueur made out of oranges that are too hard to eat. Want not waste not. After sampling and buying some liqueur, we headed to the North side of the island. I was surprised by how many cacti there was in such a green area. Leo was a great guide and very knowledgeable about his island. We stopped for lunch overlooking a lovely beach. This is where I got lucky to discover that Mindy was a nurse. She saw that I was unable to open the water bottle and inquired about it. After a few questions, she told me that it sounded like a pulled tendon and that I should take 400mg of ibuprofen three times a day for the next 10 days. Luckily, I brought a bottle of Advil gelcaps on the trip.
Our tour continued to a few more beaches which were lovely. Leo then dropped us off on the Punda side of town where we participated in a raffle for an Effy watch. We didn't win. We then walked across the floating bridge which was closed and over to the Otrobanda (literally, the other side). Where we boarded the ship. We went up to the Lido Deck to watch them open the bridge and allow us to back out of the port.
We had dinner in the Vista Dining Room. Our table with Pidyan was not available, so we ended up at Table 203 with Dana (pronounced with a soft "a" and a Balinese accent). He was good and we again enjoyed good service. They even found our bottle of wine from the first night although one again we got an interesting look from the sommelier when sbbish mentioned that he had the sommelier package.
The show was by Island Magic, a steel drum band. It was a fantastic show. I may have to buy a CD. My repertoire of steel drum music on my iPod is somewhat lacking. After the show, sbbish and I went down to Nick's to listen to the string quartet and process photos.
Day 6
I forced myself to have a leisurely day today. At 10:00am, I started with a lecture on the locks by Richard. His lectures are awesome. I wish that some of my college professors had been as interesting. My next event was not until 2:00pm when I attended the "Custodians of the Sea" lecture by the Environmental Officer Ralph. This was a fascinating lecture about what the cruise ship does with all the waste that is produced on board and how they work to be more environmentally friendly with their waste.
I was in the cabin today when our stewards were cleaning. I asked how they liked the new system of pairing up for cabin cleaning. They said they liked it so-so. I guess there are things they like and things they don't, but I got the impression that they weren't very happy with it, but didn't want to say so. Of course, it was hard to communicate due to a slight language barrier.
Tonight was a formal night, so it was back to the cabin to get all dolled up. We had reserved the table with Pidyan. We like having a reserved table and server. Sadly, that means you have to eat earlier. I don't particularly like that. I should be able to make a reservation at any time. Our sommelier seems to be a bit snooty but just with us. He was laughing and all at ease with the table behind us. Weird.
The show with the Zuiderdam Singers and Dancers was not as good as their second one with Broadway and film hits. Someone in costuming hates the lead female singer. She's not particularly thin (at least in comparison to the other singer and dancers). She has a stomach and hips like mine. Trust me, I would never wear a skin tight outfit with a wrap around that came just around my butt and tied with a big flower on my stomach. Did I mention it was a light gold sparkly outfit and flared out just below the knee. We won't even discuss what they put in her hair. And that was a night for us.
Tomorrow, we are headed through the Panama Canal, so I must get to sleep because it will be a long day.
Driving Day
I consider that our trip started from the moment we left Baton Rouge for the drive to Ft. Lauderdale. We set our course in the GPS which said that we would arrive at 8:30pm. Of course, the GPS did not take into account the hour time change, gas stops, restroom/driver change stops, eating stops, sightseeing detours, or the general after Christmas traffic. Consequently, we didn’t pull in to the hotel until about 1:00am EST.
The drive though wasn’t too terrible. We each took our turn driving. I was able to listen to my cruise playlist during my couple hours. Mom read most of the time. Dad and sbbish napped. We stopped in Mobile for food at Oysterellas. It wasn’t the Oyster House that Mom and Dad remembered, but it was pretty good. They had the tenderest fried oysters that I’ve ever eaten.
My driving turn began about 80 miles from the turning point from I-10 to I-75. That went smoothing enough, but it wasn’t long before traffic on the three lane I-75 came to a grounding halt. We decided that was as good a point as any for dinner and pulled off at a Wendy’s in a truck stop. We weren’t the only ones who had this idea. It was quite full. Add to that the guys ordering for their entire unit in front of us and the wait was really long. At least when we were done, the traffic had died down as well. Once we took the Florida Turnpike, traffic smoothed out. For $20 to travel the whole thing, one would expect the traffic to improve.
Wearily, we pulled into the Hampton Inn to check in. Sleep followed shortly knowing that the next day was going to be long.
Day 1
Our shuttle left the Hampton Inn at 10:00 am. We arrived at the cruise terminal before the doors were even open. Luckily, they decided to open a little early, and we soon passed through security with our carry on and were in the waiting room to go through the final check-in process and get our cabin keys. This process could have gone a little smoother in my opinion. I believe that they were not quite fully staffed when they opened the doors. They seemed to be a little short on giving clear directions as to where to go and what line to stand in. There was a line for those in suites, but then we were told that was not applicable at this time. It seems to be they should have blocked it out to clear matters up.
Once we had our keys the actual embarkation process was smooth. We took our embarkation pictures and then headed to the Lido Deck for lunch as our cabins were not quite ready for us. We had quite a lot of carryon luggage. sbbish and I had our laptops, sbbish had his camera. I had the medicine train case and my sewing. Add to that a few books, and we were quite loaded down. I’m sure those who have cruised before or who are comfortable with sitting for a few hours and doing nothing laughed at as.
By 2:00, we were getting settled in stateroom 8124. Thanks to all my visits to the Cruise Critic (CC) message board, I found all the hidden storage compartments. We unpacked quickly and found that we were quite content with the size of our deluxe verandah room. It was not quite as large as the room that we had on the Disney Cruise, but adequate for a standard cruise cabin. We also met our cabin stewards, Gede and Poegoeh.
I then began the search for the Cruise Critic banner which was supposed to be located at the Front Desk. Sadly, they either had no idea what I was talking about or they had lost the banner. Regardless, I was bannerless. I grabbed the blue runner off the end of the bed and headed up to the Lido Deck for our banner wave. Sadly, without the banner, I think that we were not able to hook up with anyone from CC. Thanks to Rich from the CC board, we were able to get a few pictures from the webcam of the four of us standing just below the sports deck. We look like dots, but you can see us if you know where to look.
The CC board had alerted me to the fact that I was to be in my life vest and at our assembly station (B14) no later than 4:15. I followed these instructions and was one of the first people there. It seems that this drill could have been a little better organized, but with 1800 people on board the ship, I suppose that one may be asking for too much. I was amused though by the one lady who had the straps of her life vest wrapped between her legs like a safety harness. I have no idea how she was able to even maneuver herself to get that tied under her crotch. The staff quickly helped her out though.
After the banner debacle, we took a quick run around the ship to scout things out before changing for a 6:00pm dinner in the Vista Dining Room. We were on the As You Wish Dining Plan (AYWD) which allowed us to show up and eat at any time. You can make reservations, but the times for which they allow reservations are not truly convenient, so it isn’t really quite as you wish. Still, showing up at 6:00pm, we didn’t have any wait. Our first night we decided to join other people. We found ourselves eating with the Throckmortons. They were very nice after we all got over that initial hump of “getting to know you”. The problem that we ran into is that they were already being served their main course; therefore, we were a course behind them. Consequently, when they finished with their dessert, we were all still visiting and chatting while we waited for our dessert. We all left together, so when all is said and done, they were at the table for quite a long time which may have been less convenient for them. Our service for the evening was fine although it did seem to take a rather long time to get our coffee.
The Throckmortons were a family around our age. We did all comment on how much older the majority of the ship is. It is true that Holland America caters to an older age group, but that doesn’t bother me at all. It is easier to find us though as we are some of the few people without white hair!
After dinner, we found a lounge where a string quartet performs in the evening. When we asked our bartender Nick where exactly we were. His reply? “Nick’s”. He had quite the sense of humour. We later discovered that the lounge was the Explorer’s lounge, but to us, it will forever be known as Nick’s.
At 9:00pm, it was time to hit the first show of the cruise. The show was an intro to the Zuiderdam Singers and Dancers. My initial impression was that if all the shows were going to be like that, I wasn’t sure I would be attending. The costumes were horrible. Pink dresses that crisscrossed with hot pink sequins across the breast and empire waist line. The men were in purple suits. It was really ugly to look like. Rather like the decorations on the ship which are much more of a modern line with reds and blues and purples. I prefer more classic decorations. The ship for the most part, looks like a standard La Quinta. The show in the evening was mostly stupid human tricks with couples on board the ship. It had its moments, but for the most part I could have skipped it. That rounded out the evening for me as I’m not much of a late night person.
Day 2
I’ve heard great reviews about this island, and it was pretty. We, however, are not a group of beach people. We slept in and waited until about 10am to saunter off the ship onto the tender boats. This was well after everyone else had rushed ashore, so we had no waiting which was wonderful. We walked along the beach taking pictures. The day was absolutely lovely. The water was a little chilly for me, but I walked along the edge of the water just so that I could say that I dipped my feet in. We met for lunch at noon, ate, when shopping for a few minutes in the little village, and took the next tender back to the ship. That was really all the time that I needed at that port.
At 2:00 pm, I headed to the Greenhouse Spa for the “Update Your Hair” consultation/lecture. It was a little disorganized at first since they didn’t have a space or any chairs set up. Perhaps they thought that no one would be there. As it was, about 15 ladies showed up including myself. We all got a turn to sit in the hot seat and discuss what we liked and didn’t like about our hair as well as get tips. I had my hair up in a bun fastened with clips. As I walked up, the hair stylist said, “You look like you have long hair.” As she said that, I undid the clips and shook my hair out. As it fell to my waist, she remarked, “And you do.” I was amused. I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know. Bottom line, for volume, I would have to add long layers. When you add those layers, putting your hair up becomes more difficult as with thin hair like mine, you get all these little unruly spikes everywhere. I suppose I shall keep my hair the same. Still, I had fun at the lecture seeing what all was recommended and suggested for everyone else.
At 4:30 pm, it was time for Crafter Chat with Party Planner Candi. Several of us met at Nick’s with our sewing. Candi admitted that she started the craft session just so that she could get in some of her own knitting. Sounds like something I would do! I started with my laptop as I needed to replace my desktop with a scrapbook layout page from our day at Half Moon Cay. The Season’s Greeting picture no longer fit the current happenings in my life. So, among all the knitters, there I was with my laptop working on digital scrapbooking. This also led to a quick demonstration of the Creative Memories software as a couple of the ladies showed an interest in the digital scrapbooking program. Maybe I can deduct my trip now as a business expense! After I finished up my page, I pulled out the 2009 Lady Mary sleeve and started couching on the gold ribbon. Yes, it is official. I am a nut. Even strangers who do needlework crafts agree.
I had a quick change for dinner which involved throwing on some pants since you can’t wear shorts and shouldn’t wear jeans to dinner. This night, we opted to eat with just the four of us and were placed at Table 94 upstairs among the scheduled diners. This, we learned is a bad deal. The service was terrible because having arrived a little after 6pm, we were slightly behind all the scheduled diners whose dinner started at 5:45pm. Really. Service was terrible. My mother’s soup was cold. When she commented that it was cold, the server just took away the soup and never even offered to replace it. When shaking salt out of the salt shaker onto my tomato and cheese appetizer, the cap came off and salt dumped all over my plate. It took over five minutes to bring me a fresh plate. I began to think that it was not going to happen. We decided that we would not eat upstairs again.
Before dinner we visited Nick’s again to enjoy the string quartet. I could tell this was going to become a standard routine. At 9:00, it was time for another show with the Zuiderdam Singers and Dancers who were to take us on a trip through Broadway and Film theme songs with costuming by someone famous whose name I will have to inquire about again. I’m not sure what happened between the previous night and this night, but this was not at all the same show. The costumes were fabulous and the singing and dancing were excellent. As my mother remarked, “These are not the same people.” Of course, they were, but the show itself was so much better. They could have done some things better from a technical standpoint. The spot was kept very tight the whole time. I would have liked a wider spot sometimes to be able to enjoy the costumes more, and there were a couple times when I think the stage could have used some more lighting-again, so I could better see the costumes.
We returned for some more string music before heading up to the room for picture processing. We each purchased a 220 minute Internet package for $100. By doing this on the first full day, we each also received 20 free minutes. It’s a good thing that people gave us money for Christmas!
Day 3
I imagined that my days at sea would be quiet, relaxing, and filled with photo processing, sewing, and scrapbooking. Alas, my hopes were dashed when I looked at the Daily Happenings. I started my day at 10:00 am with a Panama 101 lecture given by the onboard travel guide, Richard Detrich. He is an excellent lecturer and very knowledgeable about Panama. Mom and Dad attended this with me. Afterwards, Mom and Dad left me for the 11:00 am port shopping lecture. I had hoped that this would include more information on general souvenir items, but it focused on where to get expensive jewelry. They did show this very interesting Diversa collection though of stud earrings that convert to dangle earring in two seconds flat. They were fascinating but at $600 for the cheapest pair, I think I will have to pass.
I had a moment to squeeze in a quick bite of pizza for lunch before heading back to the forward decks for “The Art of Flower Arranging” in the Culinary Arts Center at 12:30pm. Interesting. Although I am quite certain that I could never make arrangements like that. Heck, I wouldn’t even know where to get the materials.
At 2:00 pm we had the Wine Tasting that came with the Sommelier Package that I bought sbbish as a Christmas gift. This package has probably been one of the most entertaining parts of our trip. When we arrived, we were supposed to receive a bottle of commemorative HAL wine and a gift set. We were also supposed to receive cards for the wine tastings and a reservation was supposed to be premade for us at the Pinnacle Grill. There was no gift set. There was no card with reservation at the Pinnacle Grill. There were no cards to present for the wine tastings. We asked our cabin steward. He knew nothing. We went to the front desk on the first day. They knew nothing. Finally, at dinner that first night, the sommelier went to find out about it. She came back and gave us more knowledge than we had before. The gift set was not available so the cost of that would be credited back to our room. We were also supposed to make reservations at the Pinnacle Grill ourselves. Of course, by the time we learned that, the only thing available was 5:45 and 8:30 pm reservations. Ah, well. Live and learn. Everytime we mention that we have this package, we get odd looks from the sommeliers. Apparently, we must be the only people on board the cruise who have this package.
Back to the wine tasting though, we showed up for the tasting. One was supposed to make reservations. Luckily, for the first time, it seems like something went right with the package and there was a reservation for us handwritten on the list. We sat across from some rather pretentious people or as my husband liked to say, people who thought they knew how to act pretentious as they didn’t even know the proper way to hold a wine glass. Thank goodness I have learned that from all my friends. I jostled the table leg with my knee while trying to climb into my chair which was pushed up against the curve of the stage and nearly impossible to get in. As everything shook (but didn’t spill), the couple across from us gave me a bit of a “What and idiot” glare. This later led to a conversation about how for a cruise, there seem to be a lot of crotchety people on this cruise. Anyway, the wines were okay. Nothing terrible special although I did confirm that for the most part, if I have to drink a wine, I should choose a Pinot Noir.
Being New Year’s Eve, this was our first formal night, so we headed back to the room for a quick nap, shower, and change of clothes. We had our pictures taken and headed to dinner. Having learned from our previous night’s experience, we declined table 94 tonight and took table 103 with Pidyan as our server. He was wonderful, and we will request his table again in the future. Our table had party hats and feather tiaras on them. I felt right at home by the end of the evening in my cheap party tiara which I later affixed to my head with clips and redid my hair so that it would look it’s best. It ended up being a rather Lady Mary look-except for the skin tight black beaded formal dress.
Mom, Dad, and I attended the show. I left sbbish in the room moaning about having overeaten and no longer fitting into his tux pants. The show was George Solomon who was incredibly energetic and talented. It was a nice comedy/music show, and he was an entertaining performer on his way to open his show in Las Vegas on January 2. I guess we were the trial run. Rather like a Friends of Faire day.
After that, the Vista Lounge was rocking like Times Square with their New Year’s Eve bash. We headed up to the Crow’s Nest on 10 Forward for a more sedate ringing in of the New Year. We could watch the Vista Lounge on the monitors they had set up. It was a madhouse. I think I preferred our quieter area. Thank goodness our docking time the next day was not until 11am.
Day 4
Thanks to CC and preplanning, I had us booked on The Jolly Pirates Swim, Snorkel, and Swing trip at 3pm. After a leisurely breakfast followed by a leisurely lunch, we disembarked the ship enjoying the fact that Aruba is a docked location with no tendering required. We found a taxi who we are quite certain overcharged us, so we didn’t tip her. Later we found out that we were correct.
We arrived at MooMba beach and checked in. We had allowed so much time to find the place that we had two hours to find something to do. Not being beach people, there wasn't much. At 2pm, sbbish and I decided to grab a bite of food at the restaurant before embarking on our pirate adventure.
As they boarded the boat, they handed each of us a snorkel and mask. My apprehension was now growing. Have I mentioned that I'm not a beach person? Well, I had never been snorkeling and was rather nervous. There is only so much that one can learn reading on the Internet. Also, I was worried about my contact lenses. I can't see without them which sort of defeats the purpose of snorkeling, nor can I wear glasses. Because of my contact lenses, I don't like putting my face in the water. Can you see the issue here?
By the time we got to our first snorkeling destination, I was almost in a panic. For those of you who don't know me, I have extreme irrational fears of going to new places and doing things that I've never done before. It really is amazing that I like traveling as much as I do. So, the Jolly Pirates told us to jump in the water as the pool was open and to come back when the horn sounded. Jump in the water. Really? I wasted a good ten minutes trying to decide just how to get in the water. After all, there was a ladder. Maybe I could just climb down the ladder. Well, sure, if I was willing to beat of the forty kids on the trip who didn't want to snorkel and just liked jumping off the bow of the ship, swimming to the ladder and climbing back up. Apparently, they did not believe that anyone should be climbing down the ladder. After pushing a few of them off, I finally managed to climb in. Sbbish had now been in for quite some time and my dad who stayed on the boat was grabbing pictures of my descent into the water.
Once in the water, I figured I needed to get my mask on. It was a good quality and fit snugly to my face. I put in the snorkel and realized that sea water was salt water. I had forgotten that. Blech! Finally, I closed my eyes and stuck my face in the water. The mask did not fill up with water, so I tentatively opened my eyes. All this time I was drifting to the back of the boat where they told us not to go. I swam forward with my face in the water and for the first time enjoyed seeing fish in their natural habitat. My mother said they weren't as colorful as the fish in Australia or Mexico, but I thought they looked just fine. I even found a snake and some weird jelly looking fish. I'll have to see what they were. They looked a little close to jelly fish for my taste, so I stayed away from them.
All too soon, the horn sounded. We boarded the ship, dripping water everywhere. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about all my bags and stuff getting wet with salty sea water. We sailed over to the next destination which was in 60 feet of water over a sunken ship. The water here was a lot rougher, so I was glad that we started in the easier area. I decided I was done here before the horn sounded. We weren't alone as only a few people were headed back when the horn sounded.
Our next stop was the area where we played around on the rope swing. Deciding that I would regret more not trying out the rope swing than trying it, I got in line. I would like to think that had my arm not been hurting so much from what I discovered later was a pulled tendon, I would have made a much better showing. As it was, the rope went down and right as it started its upward swing, my arm gave out sending me into the water butt first with a beautiful splash. My contact lenses both stayed in though, so I considered it a win. We then returned to shore where catching a taxi was a little difficult. The one we got told us we couldn't ride if we were wet. Well, we'd been out of the water and in the wind for well over an hour, so we weren't wet. I was the wettest of the group since I had done the rope swing-and I wasn't wet. I told him my towel was wet and I would keep it in my lap. He finally consented and only charged us $13.00 to get back to the ship.
Sbbish and I decided we didn't feel like dressing for dinner, so we went up to the Lido Restaurant in our jeans for a much more casual affair. We then hunkered down in our room to process some photos and enjoy the Aruba Wireless internet for only $2.95 an hour-a real bargain compared to the price of minutes on the ship. Also, being New Year's Day, we were able to watch New Year's Day fireworks over Aruba from our verandah.
Day 5
We sailed into Curacao as the sun was rising. This is one of the most interesting docks I've ever seen. They open the world's longest floating bridge to allow us to get into the docking area. We had a great view from our balcony.
At 8:45, we disembarked the ship to meet our private guide, Leo. I found him through the CC
board as well. We started our tour in the downtown area of Curacao. About the time that we were done, he received a phone call. Apparently there was a bit of a snafu. Another couple from CC had called to make a reservation. Since I had originally said that we could share our tour, he told them he was available. However, they never received a confirmation from him, so he did not know that he was to pick them up. They ended up joining our tour, and we got a little bit of a discount to make up for the snafu.
With Paul and Mindy along for the ride, our tour continued to the Curacao Liqueur Distillery. Apparently, this is a special liqueur made out of oranges that are too hard to eat. Want not waste not. After sampling and buying some liqueur, we headed to the North side of the island. I was surprised by how many cacti there was in such a green area. Leo was a great guide and very knowledgeable about his island. We stopped for lunch overlooking a lovely beach. This is where I got lucky to discover that Mindy was a nurse. She saw that I was unable to open the water bottle and inquired about it. After a few questions, she told me that it sounded like a pulled tendon and that I should take 400mg of ibuprofen three times a day for the next 10 days. Luckily, I brought a bottle of Advil gelcaps on the trip.
Our tour continued to a few more beaches which were lovely. Leo then dropped us off on the Punda side of town where we participated in a raffle for an Effy watch. We didn't win. We then walked across the floating bridge which was closed and over to the Otrobanda (literally, the other side). Where we boarded the ship. We went up to the Lido Deck to watch them open the bridge and allow us to back out of the port.
We had dinner in the Vista Dining Room. Our table with Pidyan was not available, so we ended up at Table 203 with Dana (pronounced with a soft "a" and a Balinese accent). He was good and we again enjoyed good service. They even found our bottle of wine from the first night although one again we got an interesting look from the sommelier when sbbish mentioned that he had the sommelier package.
The show was by Island Magic, a steel drum band. It was a fantastic show. I may have to buy a CD. My repertoire of steel drum music on my iPod is somewhat lacking. After the show, sbbish and I went down to Nick's to listen to the string quartet and process photos.
Day 6
I forced myself to have a leisurely day today. At 10:00am, I started with a lecture on the locks by Richard. His lectures are awesome. I wish that some of my college professors had been as interesting. My next event was not until 2:00pm when I attended the "Custodians of the Sea" lecture by the Environmental Officer Ralph. This was a fascinating lecture about what the cruise ship does with all the waste that is produced on board and how they work to be more environmentally friendly with their waste.
I was in the cabin today when our stewards were cleaning. I asked how they liked the new system of pairing up for cabin cleaning. They said they liked it so-so. I guess there are things they like and things they don't, but I got the impression that they weren't very happy with it, but didn't want to say so. Of course, it was hard to communicate due to a slight language barrier.
Tonight was a formal night, so it was back to the cabin to get all dolled up. We had reserved the table with Pidyan. We like having a reserved table and server. Sadly, that means you have to eat earlier. I don't particularly like that. I should be able to make a reservation at any time. Our sommelier seems to be a bit snooty but just with us. He was laughing and all at ease with the table behind us. Weird.
The show with the Zuiderdam Singers and Dancers was not as good as their second one with Broadway and film hits. Someone in costuming hates the lead female singer. She's not particularly thin (at least in comparison to the other singer and dancers). She has a stomach and hips like mine. Trust me, I would never wear a skin tight outfit with a wrap around that came just around my butt and tied with a big flower on my stomach. Did I mention it was a light gold sparkly outfit and flared out just below the knee. We won't even discuss what they put in her hair. And that was a night for us.
Tomorrow, we are headed through the Panama Canal, so I must get to sleep because it will be a long day.