C: Cruise Life

Okay, now for pix.  Of course, I must say that I am reminding myself of the folks years ago who would drag people into their living room and show slides of their vacation!  (zzzzzzzz).  Remember “slide projectors?”  The difference is that you guys can leave—any time!

V and flew to Ft. Lauderdale on Thursday and spent all day Friday driving around Miami.  We had a blast…sightseeing the beaches, the mansions, and the amazing throng of people!  We had a great dinner at a sidewalk cafe in Coconut Grove.  The weather was glorious!  V and I decided we fully understand why people retire down in Florida.

Our hotel room looked out over a marina—some of yachts were amazing. 

On Saturday we boarded Holland America’s Ms. Eurodam.  Our stateroom was spacious with a private balcony where we would have coffee and toast in the morning or tea in the evening.  Our steward tried to keep the room tidy, and he did a magnificent job against all odds.  We’re pretty messy.  It seemed that every time we returned to our state room, it had been cleaned.  Sometimes we’d find these cute towel creations.

  

The ship had many places to eat, some were restaurants for which you must make reservations.  V and I stuck with the ones that were included in the price of our cruise, and we were never disappointed.  This is the “Lido,” which served a huge selection of food almost 24 hours.  Of course, we could order anything, anytime in our stateroom.

There were also casual eating spots scattered about the ship: a pizza shop, a hamburger/hot dog cafe, etc.  Food was not a problem, unless you consider excess a problem….

The Rembrandt Dining Room is where we had dinner each night at 8 p.m.  It was so well-done, from the excellent (hovering) service to the wonderful food.  We also were able to have tea each afternoon at 3 p.m. in this restaurant.  V and I went twice.  All I can say is “luscious!”  There were stacks and stacks of delicate sweets and little sandwiches. 

 

The ship has two swimming pools (no bathing suit pix of us, don’t worry!).  This picture shows the retractable glass roof above, which is closed on rainy days so passengers can still swim…never let the weather interfere with the desires of the passengers!

This next picture is of the eleventh deck observation area.  The panoramic windows are lined with cushioned couches and bordered by comfortable recliners.  What cannot be seen in this photo is the Starbucks-like bar with gourmet coffees and delectable goodies.  There are book-lined walls and computer stations…think Barnes and Noble on water.  It was this area where V and I were locked in during the fire alarm.

 

The ship had many wide decks for walking or relaxing with a book in a deck chair.  Ahhhh, doing nothing!  It’s great!

 

In the evenings before dinner, V and I enjoyed sitting in the Ocean Bar, listening either to string musicians or the pianist, who would play for us.  We had a drink and enjoyed fancy little plates of appetizers while we awaited the uniformed steward coming through with the dinner chimes!

All in all, I’d say that a cruise is good value, especially when you start figuring out how much 7 days away would cost if it were not “all-inclusive.”  V and I paid for this over months, so by the time we actually went, it felt free!!

Tomorrow I’ll try to post some pictures of our ports.  We had a great time tromping around, shopping and eating our way through San Juan and St. Thomas!  Thanks for hanging in here if you get to this point!  C