Last week we went on a 10-day cruise aboard the Holland
America Oosterdam.
11/6/15
Embarkation:
In the morning I went
online to check our ship and make sure that no changes were made but it
wouldn’t let me in because it said, “Your ship has sailed!” Oh my gosh!! I had
a heart attack! I checked the date on my watch, iPad, phone, and computer and
all the dates were the same as the ship’s tag on my luggage. So, I didn’t say
anything (but I worried terribly!) until we got to the port and there was our
ship. Then I told everyone what happened in the morning. I don’t know why they
put that message on the website but it sure got me stirred up! We had a nice
lunch and dinner as well as a 3 star Mariner reception in the Crow’s Nest. This
is the first time we had ever been to Any Time dining and I’m not sure I like
it. Service was very slow. After dinner we went to see the movie “San Andreas”
and it was very good. The lady beside me kept patting me on the arm telling me
everything would be okay because I think I was biting my nails from all the
excitement! On the way back to our cabin we met another couple (Januz and
Hellina from Michigan) that we had cruised with years ago and they recognized
us! What a small world.
11/7/15 Half Moon
Cay, Bahamas:
We ate breakfast at 6:30 and were on the first tender at
8:00 to go to the island. We got lounge chairs (free) in the shade and spent 3
hours at the beach. The weather was absolutely perfect. Instead of going to the
island BBQ, we went back to the ship for lunch. After lunch we went to the
movie, “Love and Mercy” about the Beach Boys Brian Wilson. It probably is the
worst movie that I’ve seen in a long time. It didn’t make a lot of sense and
they didn’t even have a lot of the songs playing. We left the movie theater
before it ended and then went for a snack. After our snack we walked about 3
miles on the walking deck. Then we watched the Clemson football game before
going to dinner. It was elegant night so we dressed up. Then we went to the
show called “Avalon” featuring the Oosterdam singers and dancers.
11/8/15 Grand
Turk:
We got off the ship around noon today and went to the beach
near the ship. We turned right at the dock and tried to swim in the water there
but it was too shallow and rocky. Then we went over to the left side of the
dock and had a much better time snorkeling there. I was very happy with my
pictures that I took. We returned to the ship around 3:30 and then cleaned up
before going to Happy Hour at the Crow’s Nest. At 5:15, we went to dinner and
met Marilyn and Lyle Hill from Shelter Cove, California who invited us to sit
with them at dinner. We had such a lovely time that we agreed to sit with them
every night at table 175. Then we went to see the show, which featured the
comedian Jeff Burghart, and he was fabulous.
11/9/15 Samana, Dominican
Republic:
We got our tender tickets in the Queen’s Lounge at 9:40 and
got on the tender around 11am. We walked around town and saw the local area. I
bought a nice looking purse for $6, a diet coke for $1, and a magnet for $3.We
returned to the ship around 2:30 and had lunch. Then we walked about 3 miles
around the ship before getting ready for dinner. At 4pm we went to Happy Hour
in the Crow’s Nest again and enjoyed a couple of Bloody Marys. Dinner was
delightful again when we joined Lyle and Marilyn. We went to the show, which
featured the pianist, but we didn’t stay long. Then we went back to the cabin
and watched TV. When we got there we finally met our cabin steward, Wayan, in
person.
11/10/15 At Sea:
We had a nice day at sea and I felt like I ate all day long!
After breakfast we relaxed on the deck for an hour before we took a galley tour
of the kitchen. Then we relaxed on the deck again for an hour and then we had
lunch. After lunch we walked 3 miles around the walking deck and it was time
for tea but instead we watched the movie Ant Man on TV. Then we went to Happy
Hour and dinner. After dinner we went to the show, which featured Broadway
tunes.
We had a nice day at sea and I felt like I ate all day long!
After breakfast we relaxed on the deck for an hour before we took a galley tour
of the kitchen. Then we relaxed on the deck again for an hour and then we had
lunch. After lunch we walked 3 miles around the walking deck and it was time
for tea but instead we watched the movie Ant Man on TV. Then we went to Happy
Hour and dinner. After dinner we went to the show, which featured Broadway
tunes.
11/11/15 Bonaire:
Yesterday we went to Bonaire and it was an okay place but I
wasn’t really thrilled with it. They were the unfriendliest people I’ve ever
seen! I did ask how far the Marine Park was and was told the whole coastline
was the Marine Park. Then we walked around the town and bought a few souvenirs.
When I wanted to go to the rest room, all of the public rest rooms were locked
and the only ones open were $1 or you had to go to a restaurant and buy food
and drink to use the bathroom. We got disgusted and went back to the ship by
10:30am. After lunch we went to the ship’s movie theater to see Hot Pursuit,
which was cute. Then we sat on the deck and read until Happy Hour. I played a
game where I had to roll the Hula Hoop and ring a bottle of champagne and I did
it! 5 of us were in the final round and one man won the champagne bottle while
the rest of us won a free drink. After dinner we went to the show featuring
David Pengelly and he was very good.
11/12/15 Curacao:
We had an absolutely glorious day in Curacao! We got off the
ship around 8am and walked around town. When the stores opened at 9am, we went
in a few shops and everyone was very nice. At 10:30 our friend, Karin picked us
up from Starbucks and then we drove back to their house to pick up her husband.
Then we went to this wonderful resort, Karakter, for lunch. We all had Lobster Bisque and
then 2 of us had quiche and salad while the men had tuna, fries, and salad.
After lunch, Joseph had to return to work but the rest of stayed there at the
beach. Don and I did some snorkeling, which was amazing! After a few hours
there we went back to our friends’ house where we picked Joseph up again and he
drove us around the island showing us some beautiful scenery. We returned to
ship around 8pm and had some dinner. By 9:30, we were fast asleep!
11/13/15 Aruba:
We were going to go snorkeling at Boca Catalina (cab ride
$25 for 2 but we also heard the bus goes there) but Don was having back spasms
and we weren’t sure about how far out we had to swim so instead we walked
around the town for a few hours. After lunch on the ship we went to the movie
theater and saw The Gift, which wasn’t that great. After the movie we walked
around until it was time to get ready for dinner. We went to Happy Hour and did
team trivia. I was surprised when 2 couples asked to join us. Marilyn and Lyle
joined us to use my iPad in order find out their cabin number on their next
cruise. After dinner we went to the show, which featured Hilby, the skinny
German juggling boy.
11/14/15 At Sea:
After breakfast I went to the knitting group while Don went
to the culinary arts demo but the chef never showed up. After that we went to
the lounge where the Captain of the ship was having a question and answer talk,
which was very interesting! Then we walked around and then relaxed on the deck
until it was time for lunch. We had a lovely lunch with Eunice, Fred, and Jerry
who were all friends in the same community. Eunice was 92 years old and going
strong! Eunice and her husband used to travel with Fred and his wife. Fred and
Jerry were cousins. After lunch we walked around some more until it was time
for happy hour and dinner. After dinner we went to the show, which featured the
Oosterdam singers and dancers in Bob Mackie costumes.
11/15/15 At Sea:
We had our last lovely breakfast. Then we walked around the
shops and the ships for a while and then we packed our suitcases. By then it
was time for the Mariner luncheon at 11am and we got our souvenir tiles. The
beef short ribs were so tender and delicious! At 1pm we went to see the movie
“Before We Go” which was stupid. After
the movie we went back to our cabin to rest until Happy Hour and dinner. After
dinner we came back to the cabin to watch Self/Less, which I enjoyed. We also
had to put our suitcases out in the hallway.
11/15/15
Debarkation:
We got off the ship around 9am and got our suitcases. My
parents picked us up around 10am
Things I Learned:
1. I
don’t like Any Time (or As You Wish) Dining unless you are lucky enough to find
another couple you like and arrange to have dinner with them at the same table
every night.
2. I
really liked the movie San Andreas.
3. I
didn’t like the movie Love and Mercy about the Beach Boy’s Brian Wilson.
4. You
need to get to the movie theater at least 30 minutes early to get a seat.
5. Half
Moon Cay has a beautiful beach.
6. Grand
Turk had a wonderful snorkeling area right near the boat.
7. TIPS
stand for “To Insure Proper Service” from the first teahouse.
8. Lloyds
(of London) was the first teahouse.
9. Tea
used to be for the wealthy ladies and men.
10. Caffeine
in tea bags comes out in the first minute.
11. Steeping
the tea bag too long makes the tea bitter.
12. I
didn’t like the island of Bonaire because they were very unfriendly.
13. There
were no free public bathrooms in Bonaire.
14. Shops
don’t open in Curacao until 9am but they have to close by law at 6pm.
15. Aruba
- The cab ride to Eagle Beach was $13 for 2 and the cab ride to Boca Catalina
(snorkeling) was $25 for 2.
16. The
ship goes 66 feet for every gal of fuel.
17. The
Captain works 3 months on and 3 months off.
Original photo by Pat Hensley
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