Cruising February 6, 2019
Well, we're back on line after a two week interlude. Our last blog post left off as Bruce and I were about to board Holland-America's ship, Volendam, for our first experience of big ship cruising. Bruce had wanted to traverse the Panama Canal, and this seemed like the best way. Unbeknownst to me, there was a charge for internet on board the ship. At $25/day, it wasn't even in the realm of possibility for the frugal Webbs! So, as frustrating as it was, we went cold turkey for 2 weeks, except when we went ashore and found cafes with free internet (along with a beer :).
That was my major complaint - and really, it was a rather small issue compared to the amazing experience that we had! The Volendam is a floating resort with all manner of ways to bring you pleasure. Being cruise ship newbies, we were pretty agog at the decadence and high quality of most every aspect of on-board life. We struggled with that at first but got embarrassingly accustomed to being waited upon, hand and foot. Our cabin steward, Sahal, an incredibly hard-working Indonesian man, put in 10-12 hours a day, making beds, cleaning toilets, vacuuming, making towel animals and distributing small chocolate squares to each of his 29 rooms daily! He was one of 500 workers at all levels of employment, from laundry workers to cooks to the musicians and bar keepers and navigation experts. Quite an international community. Very few of the workers were American, at any position.
Cruise ships are known for their food. It was abundant, as well as beautifully prepared and presented. Normally, we ate in the lovely self-serve cafe with an assortment of international offerings. I soon discovered the smoked salmon for breakfast and indulged myself often. The upscale, more formal "Dining Room" was absolutely elegant, an art deco setting with a bevy of waiters. It wouldn't have surprised us to see Frank Sinatra come strolling through. Here they straddle the line of old world tradition with several "gala" nights in which guests may dress formally - with most nights being "smart casual". Even on a gala night, we were not turned away, me in my $5 Goodwill dress and Bruce with his clip-on bow tie! No shorts allowed, though.
The constant temptation to overeat was a bit of a challenge. Many guests were already overweight when they boarded. We had read that the average guest gains 10 pounds on a two-week cruise! However, Holland-America thinks of everything, with an onboard gym and a wonderful promenade deck for walking, as well as two swimming pools. Three times around the deck equaled a mile. For a fee, there were all manner of other opportunities for physical betterment, such as acupuncture and assessments of one's posture/feet and classes for pilates & yoga, as well as spa treatments. I did take a couple of dips in the pools, but we stuck mostly to walking the promenade in the fresh air, looking out to sea.
Bruce had chosen the Holland-America line because it had a reputation of catering to an older crowd. He wanted to be assured that he wouldn't be kept awake with karaoke and all-night parties. Not to worry! We were surprised at just how old the population was! Virtually everyone was retired, and it was not unusual to see people using canes or even pushing walkers, with a small handful in wheelchairs. I couldn't help but think of a floating Marigold Hotel. We were impressed by how long the travel bug and world curiosity lasts. This is certainly a way to keep going, far into one's dotage! We learned that there is a medical doctor on board. At least one passenger that we know of used the medical services in an emergency situation with painful kidney stones. He was very pleased with the care he received. The staff and crew, all in their 20's and 30's, were extremely cheerful and patient with this cohort of guests!
One of the cruise delights was meeting people from all over the world. The passenger list numbered more than 1300 from 43 nations, albeit mostly the USA and Canada. On our first night we met a couple from Aberdeen, Scotland, and on our last morning, we ate breakfast with a couple from Glen William, South Africa. However, before the ship even left port, we encountered John and Barbara, retired from teaching university and elementary art in Gainesville, Florida, and found that we had a lot in common. They became our ship buddies, and we enjoyed sharing many meals with them.
The entertainment was outstanding! I hadn't thought much about it before embarking but we soon fell into a routine of attending the nightly live shows, being introduced to a variety of national quality performers whom we had never heard of. Among them was John Wing, a comedian who was actually funny (and originally from Canada and an altar boy as a child :); Akos Laki, an incredible jazz sax player from Yugoslavia, now living in Rotterdam; Patrick Murray, a hugely talented ventriloquist who gives voice to Mathilda with a Jamaican accent (!); and Hyperion Knight, an impressive and personable piano virtuoso. You can google any of these entertainers and be wowed!
In addition, there were all manner of diversions throughout the day. No such thing as being bored at sea! I learned about making Asian dumplings and tacos through cooking demonstrations put on by America's Test Kitchen, which is an organization featured on PBS stations. Even though I've been cooking for decades, Maria, the young Latina chef, had helpful tips.
In fact, there were so many distractions among the interesting options, everything from casual live classical or jazz music in plush bars to movies and lectures on the places where we'd be stopping that, toward the end, I had to make myself sit down on a deck chair and stare at the sea for a while. That was what I had been looking forward to while still at home in Gorham.
Bruce's favorite part of the experience, apart from his goal of passing through the Panama Canal (more on that in another post), was just being at sea with no duties. He was reminded, of course, of his time in the US Navy, with mid-night watches and perpetual exhaustion. By contrast, this was so relaxing.
Overall, it was a fascinating experience. Cruise ships are a world unto themselves with behind-the-scenes activities that we had only brief glimpses into. Being curious, we took in every coffee chat with the head of food & beverages or introduction to the singers & dancers or Q&A with the captain. Still, we can only imagine what it's like to live and work aboard a closed community for months at a time. We're glad that we did it - as passengers! It fulfilled its purpose of checking off a bucket list item for Bruce. But, it really isn't our style of travel. The up-selling was particularly annoying to Bruce. The over-the-top amenities were sweet for a while but not something that we need in our travels. I doubt that we'll take another cruise - at least not for a while :).
Next two posts will describe the transit through the Panama Canal and our excursions ashore.
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