Saturday January 6, 2024

 I'm feeling very lazy so slept in, skipped the dining room and ordered room service.  I ordered breakfast at 8:40 a.m. it was delivered at 8:52.  Breakfast with a view. Could it get any better? 

Room service is available 24/7 with no upcharge. They sent two cups and sets of silverware. Bless their hearts for being so optimistic about my love life.

Breakfast was fast and hot. So many inappropriate jokes spring to mind. 

I'm saving the OJ for later. I like to mix it with club soda.  I like the little jar.

Since I'm talking about food, here's dinner last night. Jolanda ordered two appetizers and dumped them on the same plate. Caesar salad and Thai beef with pickled papaya. She raved about the beef.

I knew better but ordered the Chile relleno. Not awful but I'll skip Mexican food on-board. Asian and Indian is excellent but they still haven't quite figured out the Mexican food, IMHO. Then again, neither has anybody in Florida.  I'm from Tucson Arizona and have high expectations. 

A bit windy on the balcony for breakfast but the view does not suck. 80/27 at 9a.m. I figure it's about a 2 on the Beaufort scale. I learned about the Beaufort wind scale at a lecture on the Amsterdam in Antarctica on the ill-fated 2020 world cruise.  Of all the things I've learned in life I'm not sure why I'm so intrigued with the damn Beaufort scale. 

I've been a bit under the weather so stayed in my cabin today. My room service dinner was a Cobb salad and chocolate cake 

They only serve this cake in room service. It is the best cake they have, I think

Sunset and Buddy

Another beautiful sunset view from my balcony.  I miss my furry Buddy but found this on my coffee table. 

Friday, January 5 2024

A Buddy hair. I miss my boy but hear he's enjoying 3 walks a day and is happily sharing a bed with his sitter. 

 

Stuff

 Ever heard George Carlin talk about "stuff"? Hilarious but too true when packing to be on a cruise for two months. 

Like most Americans I'm too attached to my stuff. I had a moment last week while fixing dinner. I was holding my favorite spatula and thinking how I'd miss it.  Don't sneer. If you are over 50 I bet you have a favorite utensil. And isn't it odd how one burner is so superior to the others? But I digress.

I packed two suitcases for two months. Here are a few things beyond clothes that had to make the trip. 

My ili (fan) from Samoa. Perfect for

warm days on the balcony 

The crew is impressed with my door stop. Thanks for the tip, Heidi 

So many chargers! At least this one handles multiple gadgets 

Moonlight and this LED candle create quite the romantic evening mood. No romance happening but lovely. And, hope springs eternal 

A must have.  Don't tell, but I also steal one of the big insulated coffee pots from room service to use throughout the cruise. 

This portable speaker is a game changer. I'm currently listening to the classical channel on Amazon Music. Thanks to my cousin Nora!

Friday January 5, 2023

 

My view when I woke up. 

Ah, the cruise feeling has truly begun. We had a discussion this morning about what day it was. It can't only be Friday, can it? This already feels like my glorious new life. 

We set our clocks back an hour last night. The Captain chose to do it last night instead of waiting until we dock in Tobago on Sunday to give us time to adjust.  Losing an hour on-board is just as much fun as "springing forward" to Daylight Savings Time each spring. Sucks, especially for the crew.

Some observations:

• Being served breakfast in a formal dining room then returning to a freshly cleaned cabin is peak luxury for me.  
• Traveling alone does not equal being lonely.  I have more social interactions on the ship than I typically have at home. Plus, my Canadian friend Jolanda is on board. I met her and her boyfriend Don on the 2020 cruise. Sadly, Don died on the 2023 world cruise.  This trip, Jolanda and I will be enjoying breakfast and dinner together in the dining room most days while going our own way the rest of the day.
• I don't know what drugs they give the crew but I want some.  Usually smiling, always helpful even when working hard, long hours.  Last night at the end of dinner our waiter asked if we wanted anything else. I suggested a foot rub would be nice.  Dude didn't hesitate. Dropped to one knee and reached under the table.  He was joking but I have no doubt he'd give me a quick shoulder rub between courses if I asked. 
• It's all about being on the water for me.  The ship provides enough activities to keep you busy all day but I prefer hanging out on my balcony.  Reading, drawing and just watching the sky and sea. 

Breakfast was one of my favorites, Swedish Pancakes. Crepes stuffed with a decadent creamy filling. 

My view as I type. 

Another view of the sky this morning

Dinner last night started with this excellent radicchio, frisee, blue cheese and caramelized pears salad

My entree was described as a veal loin. This wasn't what I expected but it tasted better than it looks. That's marscapone polenta on the side with a mushroom and artichoke heart ragout. 

Well, yeah, of course I had dessert. I went for this flourless chocolate cake. Bad photo. Good cake. 

Photos Onboard the Zuiderdam

 

Fancy coffee on deck 9

On a recent HAL cruise

 my cabin steward would only leave one chocolate on my pillow each night because I was traveling alone.  Not bad enough I'm sleeping alone?  Rony and Mario, my current stewards, not only brought two but asked if I prefer milk or dark chocolate. 

The arts and crafts room.

A very friendly group of officers taking a break to work on a jigsaw together. 

One of my favorite places on the ship, the Crow's  Nest. In 2020 as we cruised in Antarctica you had to be here by 5 a.m. to get a front row seat. 

The arts and crafts room

A spot to chill before or after your spa treatment

As I was walking toward the gym a crew member assumed I was looking for breakfast and directed me toward the Lido. I'm shocked that she assumed donuts rather than sit ups. Apparently she's not blind.

This is the free sauna. I'm looking forward to starting my mornings there. 

I haven't encountered any crowded areas yet. This is next to the Lido pool

Have a meal, read a book, whatever. 

Shower by the Lido pool

I miss the good old days when this sort of thing had no upcharge.  I also miss having firm thighs

My very favorite spot. With some rambutan

 for a snack. If anyone needs me this is probably where I'll be. 

Thursday, January 4, 2024

As usual in a new-to-me bed, I didn't sleep as well as usual. But who cares? I can nap anytime. But my real dilemma is what to do now. Shower and dress?  Room service?  Lido? Main Dining Room? Go for a walk? 

Or sit here admiring the view and kicking myself in the butt for not downloading Holland's Navigator app to my Chrome book so I can work from it instead of my phone.  I'll be able to do that on Sunday in Tobago. 

Today's plan, when I get around to putting on clothes, is to reacquaint myself with the ship and eat. The problem is figuring out the pace and sequence. There are so many options and all are good. 

I'll be adding photos of the ship today along with lots of food photos. 

I'll also be adding observations and commentary on the day. I recommend just looking at the photos unless you ran out of Xanax and just need something mildly boring. 

January 3- We're Underway!

 It's 8 00pm, which is 3 1/2 hours late but I'm kind of glad. I've never cruised out of Fort Lauderdale at night before.